7 Zero Waste Tips for Being on The Go
Read moreNo matter what age, little steps go a long way and there’s nothing more convincing than when the little tips come from our kids! So, this #plasticfreejuly we are handing over the mic to our #gaiafighters Philip, 9, Sienna, 7 and Chris, 3, who will give you a daily useful tip to how you can use alternatives to plastics and reduce waste in general. Find their videos on our Facebook and Instagram pages and get the tips here: Week 1 will be tips for when on the go AWAY from home, Week 2 in your HOME, Week 3 when on HOLIDAYS and Week 4 when PLAYING. We hope this will inspire you and your family to make the #smallchanges in your lives. Take the challenge to refuse single-use plastics on @plasticfreejuly and use our tips to help you on the journey.
Coconut oil: 11 ways to use this ultimate travel companion
Read moreHoping to travel light on your next vacation? Just like how you would pack versatile, classic pieces that you can use to mix and match outfits, virgin coconut oil is the beauty equivalent of the little black dress. It’s suitable for the whole family and can be used from head to toe. Before we list down the many ways you can make use of coconut oil while travelling, let’s first take a look at why this tropical plant oil continually top the superfoods list. Virgin coconut oil is derived from the flesh of ripe coconuts – the white flesh is used to extract both coconut milk (also known as santan) and coconut oil. As with everything else, a varying range of quality are found in the market, with prices to match. The best quality oil are those that are cold-pressed – meaning no heat, deodorisers or bleach are used in the production of the oil. The result is a clear, light liquid oil that smells of fresh coconuts. When possible, try to buy virgin coconut oil as they not only smell delicious – they are also jam-packed with medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). Virgin coconut oil is frequently listed as a superfood due to its high MCFA content, which provides your body with energy instead of storing it as fat. If you’re still not convinced that consuming an oil that contains over 90% saturated fat is good for you, consider this: virgin coconut oil can help speed up your metabolism rate, helping you to lose weight. Other positives include anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, which means that they can help with hair and skin too.
How to Cleanse Your Gut
Read moreLeaky gut, Systemic Candida, Allergies and Intolerances and Auto Immune Conditions You’ve probably heard a lot about gut health, leaky gut and the gut-brain connection lately. It’s a hot topic at the moment and one to really take note of. As with our modern diets and food production, our gut is taking a pounding. It is thought that it could be the precursor to certain auto-immune conditions and lead one down a terrible, sometimes irreversible path of ill health. I have been suffering from food intolerances and allergies since my 20’s. I’ve managed to trace back to when it all started and once armed with this information, I was able to find a cleansing program that suits my body and condition. This led me to wonder, how many people have these issues, but can’t trace it back to a certain period of time in their lives, because they just aren’t aware? And, if they have become aware, how would they know which information is safe to follow and what actually works?
Should we buy Biodegradable and Compostable?
Read moreHave you ever felt confused by the terms “biodegradable” and “compostable”? Did you ever buy such a product thinking “it must be good for the environment”? The choice in eco-products is expanding by the day and with the misuse of labels such as ‘bio’ and ‘eco’, navigating the maze of environmentally friendly product is becoming increasingly difficult. So, let’s dig into one of the common frustrations when contemplating to buy biodegradable and compostable products. Should we buy them? Do they actually pose a less negative threat to our environment? – and how are the two different? Recently a small company owner shared with me “how proud they were” to now deliver their product in biodegradable packets. He also shared that these packets will biodegrade in 2 years and were 3 times more expensive than the regular bubble packets. Coming from a scientific background, I was, of course, curious to know how this actually worked in practice. I asked about the conditions under which the packet is biodegradable and where they were being collected for the purpose of biodegradation? The reply was somewhat disheartening, but most probably not uncommon: “I don’t know, I suggest you just put the packaging in a regular rubbish bin”?
Where Can You Find Mason Jars in Singapore?
Read moreWhen taking over LittleGreenDot ‘s Marketplace we also took over this article, a post that has proven one of the most popular for Little Green Dot and now also for orgayana. So we thought we’d update it with the latest – as there’s nothing like doing DIY and homemade goodies with mason jars! So, let’s get going, so you can get crafting, organising and outlive those gifting ideas! Here’s a list of 10 shops for you to check out: Le Bono – this new online store goes straight to the top of the list. Check out their collection of Ball mason jars – regular and wide-mouth mason jars in all sizes! Giant – (some outlets) carry Fido glass jars with flip lids and also, and the plastic mason jars with a handle, lid and straw – really good for green smoothies on the go! Fairprice Finest – carry Quattro Stagioni jars Ikea – they have the larger flip-lid glass jars, really good for pantry goods! Daiso – carry generic glass jars Spotlight – carry a range of proper canning jars ( 4 for $30) with the double lid system Howard’s Storage World – sell the same canning jars as Spotlight Tangs – sell the Quattro Stagioni jars and others Crate & Barrel – sell Weck jars! Be warned, you can happily spend all day and a month’s paycheck in this store! Medtra – sell all sorts of glass jars and containers Did I miss one? Help me grow the list! If you spot another shop, share it with everyone on our FB page! Check out some of our favourite Mason Jar crafting ideas on Pinterest:
How to be a modern dad!
Read more“What a shame!” was the reaction of a male client of my former company when I told him, that the person he was looking for was away on a paternity leave. I was so shocked and unprepared for this that I became speechless. The paternity leave was only for two weeks, but I think replying “he’s on holidays for two weeks” would have been a lot more acceptable for this particular client. Not an unusual example – it’s a reality many are still faced with today. Being a modern father is not easy and can be confusing. In the past, the role of the father used to be obvious: the man was the head of the family, had to take decisions for the well-being of the family and was the main provider. He was expected to work outside the home and earn money to be able to provide for the family’s physiological and safety needs, while the woman was the one in charge of the house and the children. Nowadays in our modern societies, not only men can provide for their families: many women work full time and earn enough to ensure their family needs. The allocation of roles is not clear, as the line between the role of the mother and the father is now a blurred one. In many parts of the world, the mother is often still responsible and involved in taking care of the children and house, but she is also expected to contribute to the family’s means. Where does that leave the father then? We often talk – rightfully! – about the discriminatory place of the women in our society, when they are still not yet the equal of men in many areas. However, we talk less about what this new allocation of roles does to the men. Redefining the role of the women in our society to be more on equal grounds is fundamental and women should continue to claim for equal rights in every aspects of their life, but it also means rethinking the role of the men, especially in the family. If one parent spends a lot of time outside the home circle for work purposes, then somebody else has to fullfill the previous responsibilities and tasks that still need to be done at home. Luckily, in most cases, children have two parents! And this is where the father can claim back some responsibilities and redefine his role at home. Easier said than done. It is not a simple task! Why? Because most of the time, fathers continue to work as if they were still the only provider. The reasons could be that they can’t see themselves doing something else and/or they don’t really know what to do at home (because nobody truly taught them) Because of our society: a man staying at home to take care of the kids and the house, even part time, would not be recognized as a strong, interesting man. Because even when the father wants to be more involved in the children’s education and life at home, he’s often stopped or slowed down by the mother who cannot let go and thinks she can do all better than him! And this is precisely why it is difficult to be a parent (a mother or a father) nowadays. The pressure is on for women to feel that they accomplish in all areas of their lives, as a wife, a mother, working woman – “wonder woman” in one word, and makes it impossible to excel in every position. This result in women often feeling that they are not good enough. On the other side, the father doesn’t have the recognition of the society and sometimes of his partner as well, to fulfill more responsibilities at home that the mother once bared solely on her shoulders. In the end, everybody pays the price of this situation, the first ones being the children. To improve the situation, if we want as women to be more involved in the working life outside the family, we have to accept to let go part of our previous territory at home (taking decisions for the house and children), and men need to accept that being more involved at home is not a downgrade of their position. Of course, this will take time to achieve, where each family can find a balance that is just right for all the family members (and might be different from the family next door).
Your health in a suitcase – tips to travel while staying healthy
Read moreAre you one of these people who bring your whole medicine cabinet – JUST in case? Or perhaps the opposite, not sure what to bring, and end up spending half your holiday running to doctors and pharmacies? And what if you’d just prefer NATURAL solutions to the small fevers, troubled tummy or other classic travel issues? Look not further, here is your Essential natural medical travel kit, by naturopath Dr. Sabine Schellerer. My family always teases me when I show up with my pouch full of sprays, ointments, tablets and tinctures and squash them into my suitcase! However, I always have the last laugh, when one of them is begging for something to relieve their headache, runny nose or tummy ache, and I’d rather be the the mum with the biggest luggage in town and keep our family holidays free from ilnesses! Now, there are so many different ways to travel, and it’s nearly impossible to advise on the one and only travel pharmacy. But if you plan and prepare carefully, perhaps by dicussing it with your trusted health care professional, and consider what kind of journey you are going in, it should ‘t bee too difficult. Questions to ask are: Are you travelling on business or pleasure? With or without kids? Are you going adventuring – climbing mountains, diving, skiing, surfing, or running a marathon? Or do you plan to relax in a 5 star hotel in a tropical paradise?
Kids’ Shoes: Throw, Upcycle or Donate?
Read moreThey can be a tough call, the kids’ shoes. Often costly and quickly outgrown, many parents are deluded about what to do with their kids’ footwear. They could easily make another child happy, but should you be passing on shoes? With the Shoe Bank donation taking place at major schools and clubs in Singapore this month, we thought we’d dig into the most common questions many of us ask when faced with a pile of old shoes: What to do with our kids’ shoes when too unappealing, too worn or too small? Myth or a true fact that wearing someone else’s could affect your feet? How can we keep shoes for longer through upcycling or repair? We’ve consulted with eco-designer, Roxane Uzureau, podiatrist, Helen Crawford and kids’ shoe retailer, Ten Feet Tall, to get the inss and outs on kids’ feet and what to do with their shoes. So, make sure to read on:
Towards Zero Waste? Listen to the kids!
Read moreUnlimed free plastic bags in supermarkets? A hot topic in Singapore for years, and with countries all over the world now banning or charging for plastics, many are wondering why, in the year named ‘towards zero waste’ by SG govt., there are no immediate plans to change this law on supermarket bags. But where others are standing by and thinking ‘one person can’t make a difference’, an 11-year-old student has taken the issue into her own hands.
7 Zero Waste Tips for Being on The Go
15th July, 2019
Coconut oil: 11 ways to use this ultimate travel companion
1st July, 2019
How to Cleanse Your Gut
27th June, 2019
Should we buy Biodegradable and Compostable?
20th June, 2019
Where Can You Find Mason Jars in Singapore?
17th June, 2019
How to be a modern dad!
16th June, 2019
Your health in a suitcase – tips to travel while staying healthy
14th June, 2019
Kids’ Shoes: Throw, Upcycle or Donate?
7th June, 2019
Towards Zero Waste? Listen to the kids!
5th June, 2019
eat
How to Cleanse Your Gut
27th June, 2019
10 Best Vegan Restaurants in Singapore – for all Vegan Types
17th May, 2019
Your Top Ten Bulk Stores in Singapore
13th May, 2019
active
Labour Day Workout!
1st May, 2019
The Skincare Routine for Your Workout
18th March, 2019
Why is Exercise Important for the Mind ?
5th March, 2019
Get discounts on all your favourite green brands!
– Click to see who and how –
orgayana podcast
Captivating interviews with pioneer from the health and sustainable living sector. Check in to the orgayana podcast!
Download our Healthy Kids Recipe Book For Free!
Subscribe up to our newsletter and get healthy kids lunch box and party food recipes from Karin G. Reiter
& Clara Luboff's for free! The extensive ebook 'The Rosy Cheeked Kids" can be yours - just sign up here:
health
How to Cleanse Your Gut
27th June, 2019
Your health in a suitcase – tips to travel while staying healthy
14th June, 2019
Our Top 5: Best Natural Supplements
16th April, 2019
